L coletta



L. GOLEWA. AEROPLANE. APPLICAHON HLED APR. 6. 1920.

Patented June 15, 1920.

INVENTbR.

LUI 31 EULETTA L. COLETTA.

AEHOPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1920.

1; :3 ,433 I Patented June 15, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- LUIGI CDLETTA ATTO J UNITED STATES.PATENT OFFICE.

LUIGI Uflall'I'T-l, OI COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB 0F THIRTY-FIVE ONE-HUNDREDTHS 1'0 FRANK ALICANDBO, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

AJIBOPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Application as a ru 1a, 1 20. Serial No. 374,431.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I LUIGI COLETIA, a

subject of the King of Italy residing at Columbus, in the county of ranklm and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a s ecification.

My present invention re ates generally to aeroplanes, and more particularly to that type of flyin machines known asmonoplanes, my ob ect being to lend stablllty and steadiness thereto especially in descending, by the rovision of means normally supported in inactive position and which 1n active position cooperate with and augment the normal wing surface of the machine.

More particularly my invention auns at the provisionof normally housed and mactive means capable of movement to active position under control of .the operator and of such nature as to avoid interference under normal operation of the machine and the well known climb' 'abilities, speed, and easy handling of mac ines of this type.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my present invention and-forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side view illustrating. the practical application of my invention in its normal inoperative position,

Fig. 2 is a partial top plan vlew of 1g. 3 1s a part1 al top plan, the parts being in active position,

Fig. .4 is a partial transverse line 4-4 of Fig. 8, V V a Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 6 is a sectional side view of the parachute mast,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail cross section through one of the frame side bars,

Fig. 8 is a detail section, enlarged, on line 88 of Fig. 2, and, a

Fig. 9 is a diagram of the movement of certain parts to be hereinafter referred to.

Referrin now to these figures, I have shown in ig. 1 the fusela 10, tail structure 11, propeller 12, lan ing gear '13, a wing 14 of an aeroplane of the monoplane type, the wings 14 being normally actlve and rigidly outstanding from the fuselage sides as usually constructed.

It is to this type of machine, needing stability and. steadiness especially in desection on scent, that my invention proposes normally inactive means which, when in active position, will augment the wing surface for this purpose.

Above the fuselage 10 are laterally spaced longitudinall elongated frames, each consisting of si e bars 15, end bars 16and a central cross shaft 17 the latter being continuous through and between the two frames, and being rotatable to wind and unwind flexible connections or cables 18, the inner ends of which are attached to small winding drums 19 secured on the shaft within, and adjacent to opposite sides of, the said shaft.

The cables 18 are connected at their outer ends to the inner ends of flexible frame coverings or curtains 20 which are norrolled around rollers 21 on the forings or curtains and thus hold the same against accidental displacement. These springs 22 are carried by the end bars 16 and permit the coverings to be unrolled and drawn inwardly to the shaft 17 when the latter is rotated in one direction.

The two frames are united by connecting cross bars 23 and are supported in vertically s aced relation to, and horizontally above, t e fuselage 10 by uprights 24 whose lower ends are suitably anchored to the fuselage, and the coverings or curtains are controlled by an upright controlling rod 25 whose lower end has a control button or head 26 within convenient reach of the operator in the fuselage 10. This rod is normally held in lower position by a spring 27 and, as particularly seen in Fig. 8 has an angular upper end 28 in the nature of a pawl engaging a ratchet wheel 29 on the shaft 17 between the upper frames.

The shaft 17 is also provided with an actuatin spring 30 coiled therearound be tween t e cover frames, one end of the spring being attached to the shaft and the other end anchored to the frames. One end of shaft 17 projects slightl be 0nd one of the frames and is provided with a squared or polygonal extremity 17 for engagement by a socket wrench and the like in order to rotate the shaft and place the spring under tension which is its normal condition. Thus the operator need only ress upwardly against the button 26 to s ft, the rod 25 verticall and release its angular end from the rate et wheel 29. This frees shaft 17 for rotation and durin this rotation the cables 18 will be woun in opposite directions around the drums 19 so as to draw the coverings 20 inwardly to the efl'ective'position shown in Fi 3.

As shown in 7 the side bars 15 have slotted uide ribs 31 along their inner sides in whic the side edges 32 of the coverings 20 are guided in their movement.

Each of the frames is furthermore traversed by lengthwise vertically spaced and centrally disposed guide strips 33 which are arched as particularly seen in Fig. 5, between the end bars 16 and the shaft 17. Each covering 20 moves with its central portion between the guide strips 33 so that when drawn inward y to active position, each covering forms an effective sustaining surface of saucer like form capable of augmenting the normal wing surface of the machine, with the concave side lowermost.

I may also supplement or augment the normal Wing surface b additional means in the nature of a parac ute 34 of umbrellalike form, normally collapsed around the upper portion of its tubular supporting mast 35 and having ribs 36 connected to a collar 37 around the mast as plainly seen in Fig. 6. This collar is shiftable vertically to open the parachute b a spring 38 around the lower ortion o the mast 35 whose lower flan e end 39 is suitably anchored on a portion of the fuselage 10 within onvenient reach of the operator. The collar 3? is normally held in lower position with the parachute collapsed, by means of a spring catch 40 in the lower portion of the mast and pro- 'ecting outwardly throu h a slot thereof.

he catch 40 has a depen ing extension provided with a controllin finger piece 41 also projecting outwardly t rough a mast slot to provide for its inward pressure by the operator. When this is done the collar 37 is released and spring 38 initially acts to raise the collapsed parachute to a point where the air catches the same.

It is thus obvious my invention provides means of the nature and for the purpose, capable of read cohvenient control by the operator and a apted to permit of free uninterrupted movement and manipulation of the machine under ordinary circumstances I claim:

1. The combination with the fuselage of an aeroplane, of frames disposed in laterally spaced relation and in a horizontal plane above the fuselage, connections between the frames and between the frames and the fuselage, a rotatable shaft extending between and through the frames and having an actuating spring engaging the messes same between the frames and a polygonal extension at one end, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a spring actuated control rod depending from the said shaft, having a pawl at its upper end engaging the ratchet wheel and havin its lower end within convenient reach of t e fuselage, winding drums carried by the shaft within the said frames, flexible connectionsattached at one end to the said drums, said frames including side bars and end bars, flexible coverings normally rolled on the end bars and to which the said flexible connections are attached, and means for guiding the flexible coverings during inward movement toward the said shaft when the latter is released and rotates under tension of its spring.

2. The combination with the fuselage of an aeroplane, of frames disposed in laterally spaced relation and in a horizontal plane above the fuselage, connections between the frames and between the frames and the fuselage, a rotatable shaft extending between and through the frames and having an actuating spring engaging the same etween the frames and a polygonal extension atone end, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a spring actuated control rod depending from the said shaft, havin a pawl at its upper end engagin the rate et wheel and having its lower on within convenient reach of the fuselage, winding drums carried by the shaft within the said frames, flexible connections attached at one end to the said drums, said frames including side bars and end bars, flexible coverin s normall rolled on the and bars and to which the said flexible connections are attached, and means for guiding the flexible coverings during inward movement toward the said shaft when the latteris released and rotates under tension of its spring, said guide means including slotted guide portions along the side bars of the frames and with which the side edges of the coverings coo crate.

3. The combination wit the fuselage of an aeroplane, of frames disposed in laterally spaced relation and in a horizontal plane above the fuselage, connections between the frames and between the frames and the fuselage, a rotatable shaft extending between and through the frames and having an actuating spring engaging the same between the frames an a poly onal extension at one end, a ratchet whee on the shaft, a spring actuated control rod depending from the said shaft, having a pawl at its upper end engaging the ratchet wheel and havin its lower end within convenient reach 0 the fuselage, winding drums carried by the shaft within the said frames, flexible connections attached at one end to the said drums, said frames including side bars and and bars, flexible coverin s normally rolled on the end bars and to w ich the said flexible connections are attached, and means for guiding the flexible coverings during 1nward movement toward the said shaft when the latter is released and rotates under tension of its s ring, said guide means including vertical y spaced guide strips disposed centrally in the frames parallel with and between their side bars and between which the flexible coverings are movable at their centers.

4. The combination with the fuselage of an aeroplane, of laterally spaced frames disposed horizontally thereabo-ve and rigidly connected thereto, a rotatable winding shaft extending through both frames and having spring actuating means between the frames, and means to place said actuating means under tension, cover members normally rolled at the outer portions of the frames and having flexible connection with said winding shaft, means for normally holding the shaft against rotation, and manuall controlled means for releasin the said ho ding means.

5. The combination with the fusela e of an aeroplane, of normally uncovered orizontally disposed frames connected thereto, flexi'ble covers for said frames normally held in inactive position, normally inactive means for shiftm said covers over the frames, and manna ly controlled means for releasing said last named means, and means within the frames to guide the covers in their movement, consisting of 11 per and lower curved rods intermediate the frame sides and between which the covers are movable, arranged to hold the covers in inverted saucer shape in the active position.

In testimony whereof] have afiixed my signature.

LUIGI COLETTA. 

